NORFOLK, Va. — With Hurricane Ian's remnants expected to affect Hampton Roads, Dominion Energy is preparing to keep the power on ahead of the stormy weekend.
Company officials met on Thursday to discuss what they need to do to keep workers and the community safe.
“I would tell you there are some things out of the ordinary because of the magnitude of the event and because the time of the event because it’s happening all at once. But this is something we do every day, and we are prepared,” Sylvia White, Dominion Energy's manager of regional operations center, said.
The company is tracking potentially strong winds and rain in Hampton Roads that could last several days.
“Well, we have weather calls and to discuss what to expect the potential for some strong winds along the coastal region so our crews will be prepared for that. We’ll need to know if we need to have tree trimmers ready and standing by,” Paula Miller, a spokeswoman for Dominion, said.
Miller is encouraging people to download the Dominion Energy app on their phones.
“[People] can report outages. Don’t assume that we know your power is out. Do call us and report the outage online,” Miller said.
Miller said Hampton Roads crews are not heading out of state just yet. But crews from Richmond are prepared to leave to go to South Carolina to assist in recovery efforts.
Miller wants to remind people if they see any down power lines, to stay away and call Dominion immediately.
Dominion is also asking people to make sure they have emergency kits ready just in case.
Some important items to have are flashlights, an extra set of batteries, a three-day supply of non-perishable food items, a whistle to signal for help and a portable phone charger.